The glassworks, the sand and marble quarries at Les Fourmis, Les Olivières

A circular through the forest to discover the sand quarry that supplied the Tourris glassworks, with some nice surprises inside if you have a head torch, torch or mobile phone. Then we will go to the old marble quarry in Le Revest where some blocks have been engraved, not only with ants, which are in the majority, but also with bees, butterflies, wild boars and a wolf. Finally, we will pass through the hamlet of Les Olivières, which was part of the commune of Le Revest and was abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century: ruins of houses, wells, cisterns and ovens. Don't miss the central square with its magnificent centuries-old oak tree. And we will end with the abandoned glassworks of Tourris. A beautiful walk for the curious, young and old alike.
If you take your time, allow 3½ hours for this fascinating walk.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 87 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 84 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 368 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 279 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in front of the ruins of the Auberge Saint-Jean to the left of the entrance to the military site.

(S/E) Take the forest road to the north-west and follow the turquoise blue markings to a place called Le Goudron, where caulking for boats was made from pine resin.
Please note that this road is very dangerous as many semi-trailers travel very fast back and forth to the active quarry in Le Revest. Cross carefully to reach the entrance to the Château de Tourris.

(1) Go through the gate, join the path and follow the blue markings.

(2) Take the forest road on the left, continuing to follow the blue markings. At the crossroads, turn north-west and you will come to a fork.

(3) Turn right at a right angle, rejoin the forest road further on and continue to the left. Follow the track and the blue markings to reach the sand quarry that supplies the Tourris glassworks.

(4) 20 metres on the left, the first entrance does not go very far. A little further up, you will see a second entrance. The visit is very interesting but requires lighting and caution, especially with children: deep galleries and holes, so be careful. You will be rewarded with engravings and cave paintings.
Continue along the track towards the west for about 100 metres and leave the path on the left.
Continue for 50 metres and look out for a path on the right marked by two blue dots.

(5) Go down the path on the right. From this point, follow the turquoise blue dots. Follow them carefully as there are many paths. Take the path on the right that goes down northwards, then follow the tracks westwards and you will arrive at a well-preserved well that supplies the abandoned hamlet of Les Olivières, which is where we are heading. Take the path on the left and follow the blue markers to go around the hamlet: feel free to explore it.

(6) Wherever you are, return to the markings and go back to the forest track. Turn left and continue to the abandoned marble quarry at Le Revest.

(7) Some of the blocks have been polished. Others have been engraved with a multitude of animals, including many ants, a few bees, butterflies, wild boars and a wolf. Finding them requires detective skills. There is even an engraving of ants in front of the chimneys of a nuclear power plant: can you find it?
Return to the track and continue along it until you reach a path on the right.

(8) Leave the track and take this path on the right to rejoin the track you took on the way there.

(2) Continue to the hamlet of Le Goudron.

(1) Do not cross, but take the path marked "Verrerie" which runs along the road to the west. Pass through a small wood before reaching the road. Follow it for a few dozen metres to reach the Verrerie, unfortunately now a rubbish tip, dating from 1827. Nevertheless, the building is of historical interest. If you scratch the ground a little, you will find glass processing residues. Refer to the section "Things to see during the hike" for all the useful links to the sites on this hike.

(9) Cross the road with great caution to reach the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 347 m - Car park in front of the ruined inn.
  2. 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 349 m - Le Goudron
  3. 2 : km 0.47 - alt. 347 m - Crossroads of the circular
  4. 3 : km 0.77 - alt. 357 m - Path on the left
  5. 4 : km 1.47 - alt. 354 m - Sand quarry
  6. 5 : km 1.62 - alt. 348 m - Path descending to the right
  7. 6 : km 2.81 - alt. 279 m - Abandoned hamlet of Les Olivières
  8. 7 : km 4.11 - alt. 336 m - Le Revest marble quarry (polished and engraved)
  9. 8 : km 4.5 - alt. 327 m - Path on the right
  10. 9 : km 5.65 - alt. 350 m - Glassworks
  11. S/E : km 5.84 - alt. 347 m - Car park in front of the ruined inn

Notes

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Giel83
Giel83

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is obscured by numerous tracks. Furthermore, the power lines are not marked on the maps for this area, particularly a medium-voltage line running parallel to the GR. There are few markers to be credited to the General Council.

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PhK
PhK

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

More of a stroll than a hike. No difficulty (except for visiting the sand cave) and lots of nice things to see. Half of the route is covered, so it can be done without any problems until May.
As for the cave:
a very enjoyable visit, but be careful as it can be slippery. It is possible to exit via a chimney and reach the hillside and then the trail. Don't forget your torches, otherwise you won't be able to visit.
Very suitable for children (BE CAREFUL in the cave
A very good, easy and enjoyable route.

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Nonin
Nonin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk.
Some difficulty staying on the right path to the abandoned hamlet.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Yes, I had spotted it and plan to visit during my next stay in the area. Thank you very much.

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mbabi
mbabi

Thank you, Bernard, for your comment.
It's a good idea to have extended the route to include Old Valletta and Tourris Castle, which are part of other routes.
You may also be interested in another hike: "Prehistoric dwellings of Le Revest and the Dardennes Valley".
Happy hiking!

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This is a particularly interesting route that is worth completing with a short circular at the end, passing by Tourris Castle—a beautiful complex of buildings—and the ruins of Old Valletta—a unanimously remarkable viewpoint. This adds about 2.5 km (including 1 km that is quite challenging: descent from Old Valletta to the car park, clearly marked in the rocks with blue paint dots).
No problems following the route with GPX.

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monique m
monique m

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice, shaded route, with a few faded blue markings. The first part of the route is downhill, slippery at this time of year (October) and perhaps a little dangerous for people who are not very alert. I don't consider this first part to be a "family outing". However, the engravings in the marble quarry are very nice. I didn't find the second cave (but to be honest, I didn't look too hard).

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Nathalie83110
Nathalie83110

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well done on the signposting.

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steffe26
steffe26

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
An easy hike for families with three children aged 4, 8 and 10. The sites were interesting and varied (sand caves, well, ruins of the hamlet of Les Olivières, marble with ants and glassworks). Be sure to bring torches to visit the caves and don't be afraid to venture into the various passages (the first walls have been "decorated by modern artists..." It's a shame. The children weren't particularly interested in the ruins of the hamlet and the glassworks. However, they were fascinated by the well and the marble quarry, searching for the different sculptures.
A great outing for the whole family!!!

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Amelie83
Amelie83

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Family hike to discover sand caves, rock carvings, a well, magnificent ruins, etc. In short, perfect for exploring and entertaining the whole family!

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Michaël 83
Michaël 83

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, easily accessible, fun with children, and a very pleasant little picnic in the hamlet of Les Olivières.

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fh83
fh83

Hello,
Thank you for your reply. Yes, thank goodness for GPS. I think there has been some tree felling in the area I mentioned, which may be why there are no markings. Otherwise, it's true that the markings should be discreet but visible. We didn't find the wolf, but I plan to go back there soon.
Kind regards

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mbabi
mbabi
• Edited:

Hello and thank you for your comment. I will go back and try to improve the route. We need to find a happy medium and not spoil nature too much! ... a quick glance at the GPS and off we go again ...
Glad you enjoyed the hike. At the marble quarry, did you see the wild boar? The wolf? The bees? The butterflies? The snake? The ants in front of the nuclear power plant? ... If not, you'll have to go back...
Happy hiking!

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fh83
fh83

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
there are no markings between the hamlet of Les Olivières and the marble quarry at Les Fourmis (thank goodness for GPS
. Otherwise, it's a great, easy hike with interesting sites.

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mbabi
mbabi

Thank you @RandoMichou for your comment.
Regarding point (5), I have slightly modified the description and went to the site to clarify the trail, taking care not to disturb the natural environment too much
As for the wolf, like all solitary creatures, it is well hidden... we will have to go back
Happy hiking.
mbabi

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